Pleasing your customers is important to staying in business!
We all know how hard it is to motivate your team when it comes to putting the customer first. You get excuses such as “I’m an introvert”, “I’m not a people person” or “No thanks”. However, talking to people, and treating them properly isn’t something that is given to some, and not others. It’s a skill, just like any other, and it can be learned. In this article, we are going to go through 4 brief points that you can employ in your business to aid your employees in dealing with customers.
Play: Make it fun for them.
The first way that your employees can help, is to stop treating the job as a job. We’re not saying that they should treat it as a joke though. What we’re saying, is that they need to make it fun. Develop a tradition of ringing a bell after a sale, and having all your employees yell out something fun and light-hearted -such as “Yippi-ki-yay” for example. This adds an atmosphere of fun and good spirits, which all customers love. Another way to introduce the “fun” aspect, is to get your customers involved. If you have a way of testing your products before sale, show your customers how to test them, and let them try. If they have a good time, they will want to return.
Be there: In mind, body and spirit.
The second point, is about being present. Aside from the obvious -if you’re at home, you’re not at work-, there is another meaning to “being there”. Your employees -or yourself- might be present in body, but their minds are elsewhere, thinking about what’s for dinner, their significant others or even just day-dreaming. The customer knows when he or she isn’t being served properly. So if your employee isn’t focusing their attention on the customer, the customer will feel neglected, and so take their business elsewhere.
Choose your attitude: A good one.
The third point is about attitude. You know that some days, you arrive late at work, your shirt un-ironed because you had a power outage at home, which means that you couldn’t make coffee, and your milk was sour. You know what I’m talking about. Everyone has a bad day every once in a while. However, if you let your bad day carry through in your attitude to your customers, well then you’re going to lose them and have a even worse day. How can you fix it? By choosing your attitude. The way you act is a choice. You can choose to let your day show through your face, or you can be happy that you’re here, that you’re seeing new people -or old customers- and that you’re still alive. Being happy is as much of a choice as being miserable. You -or your employees- just have to choose to be happy over serving yourself first, by pandering to your emotions.
Make their day: They’re special.
The fourth and final point, is that the customer is special. They don’t have to buy something every time they pass by your store. However, what you want is that they don’t have to. The ambiance you’re looking for in your business, is one of fun and enjoyment. Welcome your customers, talk to them, share stories and experiences with them. Telling a few -not too much though- jokes also helps make them feel happy. What you have to realise, is that you have to put on a show for them. You are the actors, and they are the audience. If they enjoy it, they will come back, and buy more from you. So make their day special, and they will love you!
